Aka opened his eyes beside the Healer once again — but this time, he wasn't healed. He was exhausted.When the Healer realized he was awake, he spoke with a cold, sharp tone:
"Fifty push-ups. If you don't finish, it will count as your first failure."
Aka was shocked for a moment — but he quickly understood how serious this was and began.The first ten push-ups were manageable… but between ten and thirty, he felt like he might collapse. By the time he reached thirty, he was on the verge of giving up — until he noticed 29 standing behind the Healer, silently trying to encourage him.
Fueled by that small spark of motivation, Aka somehow finished all fifty — then collapsed to the floor.
The Healer walked over to him and, for the first time, actually praised him — before healing him.It was the first time Aka experienced healing while still conscious. It felt like something warm washed through his body, draining away his fatigue while sealing his wounds. He was curious about how it worked — but he was also certain that if he asked, the Healer might beat him… and might not even answer. So he stayed silent.
After the Healer left, 29 came over and they chatted idly for a while. Ever since Aka had started living here, he had lost all sense of days, months, even years. To him, it was simple: if he felt sleepy, it was night. If not, it was day.
Once he recovered, he left 29 and went back to the training area to work out again — and when he grew tired, he went to sleep.
The next day, when he arrived at the great hall, he saw one of the instructors speaking. He stood still and listened carefully.
"You have exactly four months until the Grand Examination," the instructor announced. "There will be no tests during the last month. But if you fail the Grand Examination, it will count as two failures."
Later, Aka searched through the crowd for 29. When he finally found him, they slipped away to a quiet training area.
"So, 29… what is this Grand Examination? Can you explain it to me?"
"Sure," 29 said. "But only if I can come over tonight in return."
"What?!"
"I'm joking. Why do you take everything so seriously?" he laughed.
"Anyway," Aka sighed. "What is this exam really about?"
"Oh, that," 29 said casually. "They hold it once every six months. Usually, the people who fail get thrown out immediately."
"What do we have to do?"
"It's not much different from the other tests. You choose someone and go to the instructor together. If the person you pick already has two failures, then the Grand Examination becomes their third — meaning it turns into a death match. To pass, you have to kill them. But if you have no failures, they aren't allowed to kill you — only knock you out. If they kill you anyway, they're expelled."
"Kill…?" Aka whispered. "They really expect us to kill someone?"
"There's not much difference from knocking someone out," 29 replied calmly. "Just hit them five or six more times and they'll probably die. And if they don't — hit them a few more times. It's not that hard."
"You're sick," Aka murmured.
For the first time since they'd met, Aka saw sadness flicker across 29's face.
"I'm sorry," Aka said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. Please don't be upset."
"I'm not upset about what you said," 29 replied quietly. "Or… maybe I am. But what really makes me sad is your innocence."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't understand yet, Aka. If you reach eighteen and you've failed three times… you die. There is no other option. So don't underestimate anything. Just get stronger. Even if we aren't bad people… one day, there will come a moment when you either die — or you kill."
"I… don't know what to say," Aka whispered. "But… thank you. For telling me."
For the first time, Aka took the first step — and hugged 29 sincerely.
After that, they returned to the group. Aka won one match and then fainted. 29 won two — and fainted as well. In the end, both of them were once again taken to see the Healer.
Aka opened his eyes again and gently woke up 29, who was lying beside him. Ever since the first time he'd slept with her, he had realized that she was a woman.They went together to the great hall, where the instructor was making an announcement.
Instructor: "The Great Exam will be held tomorrow. Rest today and be fully prepared for tomorrow — you won't get another chance."
Both Aka and 29 were surprised, but since they'd always known the exam would happen someday, they got used to the idea quickly. There were still people fighting in the same place as always, though fewer than usual — but today neither 29 nor Aka felt like fighting. Instead, they went to the training grounds and worked out until they were exhausted.
After Aka finished everything he planned to do, he thought, "One last check — my abilities," and examined himself.
Age: 14Strength — 10Endurance — 7Speed — 5Intelligence — 1Awareness — 3Spiritual Power — 0Physical Power — 0Potential — 5
His Innocence and Absorption abilities were still the same — but he had gained a new one:
Diligent — Because you are hardworking, you manage to achieve many things through perseverance. However, your efficiency will gradually decrease.
After finishing his self-assessment, Aka returned to his room with 29, and the two of them rested together.
Heyyy, hello again! I'm in a pretty active phase lately, so I've been able to publish new chapters more often. Sorry for the time-skips, but I still haven't really gotten into any of my main concepts yet, so I'm speeding through this part a little.
If you've read or even just checked it out, thank you so much. You can always share any positive or negative thoughts in the comments — I'll probably see them and reply pretty quickly.